ESA: Japan is Sinking – Confirmed (?) & Wild Magnetosphere

“Envisat Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar coseismic interferogram from descending track 347, processed by JPL/Caltech ARIA project using ROI_PAC. Data acquired on 19 February and 21 March 2011, spanning the main shock of the magnitude 9 earthquake and the magnitude 7.9 aftershock that occurred in Japan on 11 March 2011. One colour cycle represents 50 cm of motion in the radar line of sight (approximately west at 41 degrees from the vertical). The seismicity plot is from the US Geological Survey. (The red star denotes the quake’s epicentre, and the yellow circles represent aftershocks).”Credits: Based on ESA data – JPL/Caltech ARIA project (E. Fielding, Principal Scientist JPL/Caltech; S. Yun, Research Scientist JPL/Caltech; P. Agram, KISS Postdoctoral Fellow Caltech).

An interferogram based on Envisat Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar of the earthquakes that struck Japan beginning on 11 March 2011. Marco Chini and Christian Bignami have processed a strip composed of 13 Envisat frames (track 347, descending orbit) over Honshu island (the result is in the framework of ‘Tohoku-oki INGV Team’, lead by Salvatore Stramondo).

The interferogram covers most of the epicentre region and shows a large portion of the surface displacement field. The frames partially overlap so that the overall length is about 800 km. The whole strip has been unwrapped to measure the Line Of Sight (of the satellite) surface movement. The maximum displacement reaches about 2.5 m relative to a reference point within the entire frame strip located nearby the southern boundary.Credits: Based on ESA data -The Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (S. Stamondo, M. Chini and C. Bignami).

Co-seismic displacement of Japan earthquake on 11 March 2011 from GPS data by GEONET, reference provided by Prof. Hashimoto. This displacement chart shows the direction of ground movement, as part of the GeoHazard Supersites initiative. Credits: GEONET